Did you know that freeze dried food can stay good for 25 years! The key is to store it properly to maintain its longevity. Luckily the process of storing freeze-dried food isn’t a lengthy one and involves just 4 simple steps:
- Make sure the food is dry
- Place in an air-tight container
- Seal the container
- Add an oxygen absorber
When you freeze dry food all the water is supposed to be removed from it, so if there is any ice in the food, then the process has not been complete. To check, you should break open the finished product and see if you can find any ice particles. Sometimes if the food or candy is dense, such as freeze-dried gummy bears, it is harder for the sublimation process to complete, leaving your candy not fully freeze dried. You should also make sure the food is no longer cold as this is another indication that there's still water that needs to be removed from your food or candy. To fix this, you just have to pop it back into the freeze dryer for a (relatively) quick second round, and it should come out dry.
Once it's dry, you should put it in an air-tight container as fast as you can. This can be a type of vacuum sealed bag like a mylar bag, or just a plastic bag. You can also use plastic or glass jars that have air-tight seals. You should do this as fast as possible because the longer the freeze dried candy or food is exposed to the air, the more oxygen it will absorb, meaning it won't be as fresh as long.
The next step is to seal the container. This is a very important step, as if the container you chose isn't air-tight, the freeze-dried candy or food won’t be properly preserved. This step involves making sure your air-tight jar is properly closed, and vacuum sealing the bag of your choice, ensuring all of the air is out of it.
When you are putting your food or candy into the air-tight container, there will already be oxygen in that container. To prevent the food from absorbing the oxygen and spoiling faster, you can place an oxygen absorber in the container with the food, eliminating the oxygen to keep your stuff nice and preserved. And that’s all there is to it, an easy four-step process and you can be enjoying your favourite freeze dried candy and food for years to come!